* SECOND VGB: FROM KATHY MATTHEWS

I'm happy to present my Second VGB (Volunteer Guest Blogger), Kathy Matthews. Kathy is a multi-talented gal from Oregon. She dabbles in writing, plus when you visit her blog, you may see old photos from her family in a Sepia Saturday blog meme, you may cast your eyes on some of her wonderful vintage finds, you may read a book review or two or three, or marvel at her gorgeous photos of the Oregon lakes, mountains, and Pacific Coast!  I've told her a few times that she really should frame and sell some of them...they are that good! 

Yes, Kathy has a fun and interesting blog and she shares my optimist view about life. ☺

So, bloggers & friends....please e-mail me if you have something you'd like to share as one of my VGBs, too. I have no time limit set for this, so there's plenty of room. 

Card making: Resourcing Old Calendars Into Cards

Thank you, Becky, for letting me be a guest on your blog! 

Some time ago, I got the idea to make cards from an old Mary Engelbreit Desk Planner that I had saved for years. Because these cards are made from somebody else's artwork, I didn't feel like it would be very ethical to sell them.  In the beginning, I was going to give the blank cards away and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on them.  After I was finished with them though, I decided to send them out to my friends and family instead. 

These cards are easy, fun, and allow for a lot of creativity.  Kids would enjoy this project also.  I came up with an idea to make a card that has more writing space for those of us who like to write a lot.  What I did was put the greeting card part on top, so when you open up the rest of the card you have a front and back of white writing space.  

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

The white part above opens up to an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet for letter writing.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

This is how I made them.  I had already cut out pictures from the M.E. Desk Calendar.  I have a pair of pinking shears that are too dull for fabric and I like to use them for cutting the boarders.  I used two premade inexpensive blank cards from the variety store for each card.  The brown one above was a 3"x 5" and the white one was a 5" x 7".  I assembled the cards as I was watching TV, and then went to my kitchen island to spray on the sticky adhesive.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

I have a favorite box that I use, so that the spray doesn't get all over the place. This tacky spray works just great for my purposes.  But you had better be sure when that you lay something down, that is right where you want it.  No re-dos with this stuff.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

I have a stack of old newspaper pamphlets that I use inside the box.  I lay down a new sheet each time that I need to spray the sticky spray on the back of a photo, drawing or piece of paper.  Make sure to coat the backs of the illustrations evenly with the spray, and then place them were you want on your premade cards and smooth them down with your fist.

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

I ended up making 19 cards from the calendar that day. Here are a few of them:

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

These were not all done yet, I decorated them later, by using paint pens to make the dots on the sides.  

The cards below I made using the same technique, but with my own photos.  They are not quite done yet either, but I wanted to include them in this post. I made a total of 30 cards that day.  

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

Here are some cards that I made from my pictures at another time. These are not layered, and are made from pre- manufactured cards featuring my own pictures:

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

 Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy ~ Kathy Matthews

So, there you go.  Cut, paste and color, that is all there is to it.  

I hope that you all have a wonderful day, and thank you, Becky, for allowing me to showcase my little cards on your blog today.  

Kathy M.

Well, Thank YOU, Kathy for agreeing to be one of my guests!

Oh, and readers, I can vouch for Kathy's cards. I've received a couple from her and they are just beautiful.....and oh.....*hint*...I just LOVE the card with the old radio on the front! 

Please stop and leave a comment for Kathy. You can also e-mail her directly at: oregongiftsofcomfortandjoy@hotmail.com  

"If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're very scarce. (But) if you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere." -- Zig Ziglar